When Daily Telegraph correspondent Tim Butcher was sent to cover Africa in 2000, he quickly became obsessed with the idea of recreating H. M. Stanley's famous expedition - and travelling alone. Despite warnings that his plan was suicidal, Butcher set out for the Congo's eastern border with just a rucksack and a few thousand dollars hidden in his boots.

Making his way in an assortment of vessels including a motorbike and a dugout canoe, and helped along by a cast of characters from UN aid workers to a campaigning pygmy, he followed in the footsteps of the great Victorian adventurers. Butcher's journey was a remarkable feat, but the story of the Congo, is more remarkable still. Download and start listening now!

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Listener Opinions

by Sandy | 2/11/2014

" Only imagine retracing Henry Morgan Stanley's trek through the unsettled Congo region on a 100cc motor bike. This was an intrepid adventure as the author experiences the broken hearts of the people and their villages. "

by Miranda | 2/6/2014

" A fascinating and depressing account of Tim Butcher's journey through the DRC. I greatly admire his trip - you can't read the book and not be in awe of his tenacity and pure travelling skill - and he highlights the country's current problems and tells its history very well. I couldn't help but occasionally feel it was a little self-indulgent (at the end of the day, he did nothing to help the situation) but had to remind myself that the main job of a journalist or reporter is to bring issues to people's attention and he does this very well. "

by Rhett | 2/3/2014

" This book had some really good history on the Congo, the author really does a good job putting his adventure into context. As far as the authors adventure through the Congo, it wasn't as harrowing and edge-of-your-seat exciting as I hoped it might be. Though reality is, if the author had had any closer contact with the mai-mai then he probably would never have lived to finish the book. The book did corroberate the other book I read by Tayler in that they both described a very similar Congo. This book had better history than Tayler's but not as good a story. "

by Brian | 1/21/2014

" Fascinating journey through the DR Congo. The decline this country has seen is tragic. "

" I was fascinated by the Congo after reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I saw this book sitting in the gift shop at a remote safari lodge in the Masai Mara in Kenya. I had never heard of Tim Butcher, but the subject matter was of interest to me. This is one of the best books I have read for a long time. Despite the seriously scary journey that Tim made, I still have a yearning to visit the Congo. The people that assisted him in his journey are fascinating, and their sheer determination is an inspiration to us all. This book was recommended to my book club and got mixed reviews from our members. Those who were not familiar with Africa did not appreciate it as much as I did. I will continue to read all the new offerings from Tim Butcher. "

Al Tully | 12/29/2013

" A fascinating insight into the history, current plight, and also hope of the people's of the Congo. "

AmaranthDeFleur | 12/9/2013

" gritty touching and very very real. "

Gabriel | 12/8/2013

" Engagingly readable account of the authors travel from the headwaters of the Congo to the sea. A good introduction to the colonial history of the Congo, and very sad to learn of the dysfunctional state of the present-day Congo. "

Bethany | 11/3/2013

" Very interesting story about a journalist who tries to recreate Stanley's overland journey through the Congo. NOw I need to reread Heart of Darkness and finally read the Poisonwood Bible! "

Colin | 8/20/2013

" Guaranteed to make your most thrilling what-I-did-in-my-gap-year story look tame by comparison. "

Jon | 4/12/2013

" Fascinating journey by a man driven to discover a land that time forgot "

Hannah Marsh | 1/25/2013

" I really liked this book; it is atmospheric and captures the essence of the Congo really well. I enjoyed his approach and found it a lot easier to read than I anticipated. "

Sarah | 10/22/2012

" Vivid portrayal of modern DRC. He makes a haunting observations that stuck with me after I finished the book: the grandparents are more worldly than the grandchildren because of conflict and change that has ripped apart society and commerce. "

Geoff | 7/13/2012

" Good book portraying a vivid image of the current Congo and a brave journey through its centre. A dissatisfying last 3rd in which you feel the author wants to finish writing his book as urgently as he wanted to complete his journey and return home. "

Robert Chesshir | 12/28/2011

" Great history of the Congo River and Africa "

Jeanne | 11/29/2011

" Fascinating history of Africa. The author follows Stanley's origonal route on the Congo "

Haven | 10/7/2011

" Enjoyed reading about Tim's journey and learning more about the Congo's history. "

Harald | 8/8/2011

" Tough and adventures journalistic journey about one of the most promising but unfortunate countries in the world. "

Mr. | 5/16/2011

" Intriguing story of a British journalist who seeks to retrace Henry Morton Stanley's footsteps along the Congo. It's interesting, well-researched, and often perceptive. While it doesn't reach heights, it hits few lows and gives one a sense of his experiences en route.
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Russell | 4/21/2011

" For someone who's only literary experience of the Congo is "Heart of Darkness," this makes for a good survey course on the Congo's colonial/post-colonial history leading up to 2004. How sad, how bleak. How discouraging. The horror, the horror.
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Christof | 4/3/2011

" What a great book about a region almost forgotten ...Though it Leaves you with a certein amount of helplessness, those who want to understand Africa need to read this book.
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Sara | 3/21/2011

" Freaking amazing. Read it in two days.
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Chloe | 3/12/2011

" A daring and wonderful odyssey, a travel book that reads like fiction and written by someone brave enough to enter the dark heart of Africa.
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Michelle | 3/4/2011

" Engrossing, shocking, numbing.... We are all so insulated from the sufferings and struggles of so many people on this planet.
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" This book was close to a 5 star book, but several chapters drug a little too much. The rest of the book was very interesting. The author goes into the mess the Congo is in, how it got there and what might be done to fix it. I highly recommend this book.
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